It is common for one person in a workplace to make a coffee and beverage run for other co-workers. A coffee run may comprise taking an elevator to the food court and back in an office high rise, or in other situations, the person making the run may have to drive to a coffee vendor, such as but certainly not limited to Starbucks™. No matter where the person must go to get the coffee or other beverages, the person must typically transport a plurality of cups back to his/her co-workers.
Traditionally, the person will place the cups of coffee in cardboard trays that are provided by the beverage purveyor and have a centered handle that extends upwardly from the tray. These trays typically carry four or in some instances, six cups of coffee. If the coffee run is for more than four or six cups, the person must typically carry two holders: one in each hand. Of course, in such situations, the person cannot easily open building and automobile doors, and retrieve keys, money, wallets or other items from his/her pockets or purse.
Larger trays are known, such as those used by concessionaires in ballparks; however, these trays cannot be conveniently carried using a single hand and often require a neck strap. They certainly are not suitable or practical for a person on an office coffee run.
Another problem of using cardboard trays in certain situations is spillage of the coffee or other beverages contained in the cups. Cardboard trays often do not have the necessary structure or configuration to contain any spillage from the cups in or on the tray. Accordingly, spillage can cause soiling of office carpets. Further spillage often occurs when the tray is set on a front passenger seat of an automobile and the coffee sloshes around, over the top of the cups as the person driving the automobile accelerates and decelerates.